


Peppermint

by Lelline



Series: Hot drinks and cold killers [6]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Asexual Relationship, Asexuality, Christmas Fluff, Domestic Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-07 20:06:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5469338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lelline/pseuds/Lelline
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joel and Adam enjoy a lazy christmas morning.</p><p>(spoilers for previous fics inside)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Peppermint

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally going to be a chapter of Eggnog, but I decided to make it a separate fic for anyone who just wants the ace fluff. Spoilers for Dark Grounds inside, but you don't have to have read Egg for this to make sense.  
> Enjoy :)

Joel’s favourite thing in the world was waking up tangled up with Adam.  
It was probably the simplest thing about their lives, how they were when they were alone and relaxed. Adam would usually grab onto Joel in some way, face pressed against his torso and fingers pressed to bare skin in a way that was never sexual.

Joel had worried from the start about what their relationship would be. He never would admit it, not even now, but the idea of any sort of intimacy after Tucker had been terrifying.  
His relationship with Tucker had been all passion and danger. They had pushed every boundary, both in bed and in their lives. Both of them had been young and stupid, feeling immortal in the face of a cold world.  
After killing his soulmate, Joel had no passion left. He had felt like a ghost of his old self, held together only by regret and disgust at the world that had caused him to kill the best person he had ever met.  
Then one day, he’d grown sick of a local drug runner. He hadn’t cared anymore about following RT’s rules, or even about keeping himself alive. The man, Jaune, was a pig and was going to end up getting himself killed. Joel was just trying to speed up the process.  
And then there was the young, angry eyed man that had interrupted his kill. The soulmate that was so broken that when Jaune had begged for help, he had answered with a bullet in the asshole’s head.  
And if that hadn't pissed Joel off, the look in the bearded man’s eyes would have. Because Jaune's soulmate was a damaged man, a man who would not fight for his own life, but had still come to his mate’s home with the intention of killing him.  
And Joel had no illusions about it being a mercy killing or just a way to try and appease Crazy Caboose to try and spare his own life. Adam killed Jaune because he could, and because he wanted to be the one to do it. One look into Adam’s eyes could tell you that it had been his intention the whole time.  
And Joel did not understand the rage and pain in the man’s eyes. He could not imagine soulmates so broken apart where one was relieved by the death of the other.  
But he knew all of his disgust and anger was aimed at the dead Jaune, not this defeated murderer in front of him.  
So he decided to take Adam in like a stray dog, as if Adam was a abused poodle he had found in an alleyway.

He had never expected to fall in love. He hadn't though either of them were capable. At first, he had thought his feelings for Adam were brotherly or strong friendship.  
But then, at the height of an escape from a crazy fight, Adam had seized him for a kiss and everything changed.

Neither liked sex.  
Adam never had liked it, no matter his partner, and Joel didn't feel up for it. He couldn't explain why, though he doubted it had to do with the intimacy of the act. He felt raw and exposed sometimes when Adam held him, knew the other man knew him inside and out. He trusted the younger man with everything, loved him more than he would admit.  
If Adam had wanted it, Joel honestly knew he would have worked past things, but Adam was the only person he could ever see himself trusting in that way, but that would never happen.  
Instead they just had their soft kisses, their sleepy mornings, and the calm support they gave each other.  
Joel stretched a little, peeling out of Adam’s grip to check his phone and rise to visit the bathroom.  
He had guessed his own timing perfectly, since Joel Rubin had been walking up to the front door to drop off some packages when Joel checked. The two Joels took great pains to be silent, though the two boxes made noise.  
The Jewish man had nodded at him thoughtfully, dressed in an ugly menorah sweater despite it being long past Hanukkah. His boss rose an eyebrow at him and he just left.  
Joel knew the underlings would trade him later for his gift choice this year, but he didn't care.  
He went back to bed, unboxing his gift to Adam as he went. Putting the tiny present on the other side of the bed, he climbed back into bed, eager to press chilled feet against his partner’s unprotected calves.  
“Mm…” Adam groaned, but let Joel’s cold skin stay pressed to him. He tucked his face back into Joel’s shoulder, arms tugging him close.  
“Merry Christmas,” The thin man said softly, hands going up to try and fix Adam’s hair. He had a good view of the gift from there, and he watched it carefully, not wanting Adam to accidentally damage it before he noticed it.  
“Mm…” Large fingers slid under the back of Joel’s shirt, seeking skin. “Merry sleep in.”  
He grinned, legs tangling with Adam’s. “I guess we could do that.” Honestly, any other morning he would already be closing his eyes and trying to erase the dark circles around his eyes. But the gift behind Adam let out a little creaky noise, like an unoiled door hinge and suddenly it was worth staying awake.  
Adam woke up with the noise, sitting up and turning to see the little lump of black fur on their bed. He blinked at it dumbly for a second, then reached over to lift it up, bringing it straight to his chest to cuddle.  
“It's a kitten,” He said, voice groggy and eyes still a little glazed from sleep. He reached up to pet it's head, absurdly gentle as always. He was rewarded with another squeak, and his face slowly morphed into one of sheer awe, as if the noise had told him some unknown answer to all of life’s issues. “It's a kitten, Joel.”  
“Yes.” He propped himself up on one elbow, cradling his head in his hand so he could get a view of his reactions. “Merry Christmas.”  
Adam turned to give him a quick few kisses to his face, not aiming at anywhere in particular, before looking at the kitten again. He seemed entranced by the black puffball, and even Joel had to admit it was rather charming, with its oversized tail and big blue eyes. She was a few months old, a bit larger than most kittens, but Joel had wanted to make sure she was old enough to handle being alone sometimes.  
Another squeaky meow had Adam starting to rise from the bed.  
“Did you get kitten food? A little box?”  
“I put it all out last night.” Joel grinned. “In the guest room, so you wouldn't see it.”  
“You got me a kitten?” Adam murmured, almost looking like he was mentally broken. “Joel… She's beautiful.”  
He smiled, forcing himself out of bed again to follow Adam to the guest room. Inside had all of the things needed to own a cat, with two kitty litters, an automatic feeder, multiple water bowls and a little orange collar. Her bed was made out of a wooden box and a soft pillow and there was a cat tree sitting to the side, top level covered in toys.  
“Joel,” Adam whispered. “Really?”  
“Well I sure as hell couldn't take her from you now.” Joel laughed at his expression. “I'm sure you would chose her over me.”  
He put the kitten down in her bed, turning to seize Joel for a kiss, gripping him tightly. Their eyes met and Joel honestly felt a little flutter in his chest. Adam was never one to hide his feelings for his partner, but it was always so intense that Joel felt a little like his body was turning to boneless putty.  
“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me,” Adam murmured lovingly. “I have no idea how this is real.”  
“It's Christmas.” He shook his head, pulling away a little so that they could watch the kitten. “And I knew you've wanted one for years.”  
Adam wandered back over to her and Joel went to the bed, sitting propped up against the headboard so he could watch.

Joel must have nodded off, since when he opened his eyes he was wrapped up in a blanket, the little kitten purring in his lap. He rose carefully, keeping the fuzzball in his hands as he made his way to the kitchen.  
Adam smiled at him from the stove, a pan full of eggs in front of him. “Morning.”  
“Did you name this thing yet?” Joel asked, lifting the kitten up a little more. “You’ll need to give her a fearsome name. Like Fifi”   
“I’ll come up with something once I have some coffee.” The bearded man nudged the other box Joel Rubin had left behind. “What’s in that?”  
“Gifts from the children I guess,” Joel drawled, before rising to take the box. It was a little heavy, so he set the kitten on the floor and carried the box to the table to cut it open, slicing straight through the tacky, vintage cat wrapping paper. Inside was a small treasure chest with a genuine lock. The keys were nowhere to be seen, so Joel let out a sigh and went to find his coat in the hallway and get his lockpicking kit. It took him a minute to pop it open, and by then Adam was trying to pass him a plate of food.  
“One minute,” He said, “They’ve got me curious.”  
Inside were hundreds of chocolate coins, along with a blue dreidel and a bottle of wine. .  
“It seems they were wanting to wish us a happy hanukkah.” He laughed, running his fingers through the fake gold coins. “Nice of them.”  
“And they got you your favourite things,” Adam said, stealing a coin. “Gold and alcohol.”  
“They could have gotten me real gold,” Joel said, taking the dreidel to try spinning it. It was oddly amusing. “Assholes skimped out.”  
“I didn’t.”  
“Oh,” Joel turned to face Adam, surprised to see him standing up. “What did you get me?”  
“22 karat gold,” Adam said, moving towards Joel instead of going to get the gift. “I thought you would want the best, but for it to still be fairly durable.”  
“Durable for what?” Joel smirked. “If it's gold, you know I’m just going to stash it away somewhere until the market is stronger.”  
“I’m hoping you’d wear it, actually.” Adam kissed him gently, before going down on one knee.  
Joel’s heart stuttered, making him stumble back a little. “No.” His hands caught the lip of the table and he gripped it hard, wanting something to feel real when everything else felt wrong. “You’re… Thats a ring.”  
It was a ring, perfectly nestled in a box in Adam’s hands, his fingers splashed with batter still. He didn’t say the words right away, just looking up in Joel in something between adoration and joy. He didn’t seem dissuaded by Joel’s reactions, just amused. “Just say yes.”  
“You’re proposing?” Joel’s voice was a whisper and he didn’t know why. It was possibly because his heart was attempting to jump up into his throat or because he was going into shock. “That’s a ring.”  
“Its either that or the world’s smallest crown.” Adam chuckled. “It’s a ring. I want to marry you.”  
“You asshole.” Joel let go of the table, sinking down to the floor so he could lean over and kiss him. “You absolute asshole.”  
And Adam just laughed against his lips, sliding the ring onto Joel’s finger. He knew what Joel couldn’t say.


End file.
